FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lytisha Wyatt, National Young Farmers Coalition
press@youngfarmers.org
Washington, D.C. (November 16, 2021) – The National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) is launching the One Million Acres campaign today to ask Congress to invest in equitable land access in the next farm bill.
“Access to land is the number one challenge facing the next generation of farmers in the United States, and this barrier is even greater for farmers of color. Without a historic investment in land transition in the next farm bill, the future of agriculture is at risk,” said Sophie Ackoff, Co-Executive Director of Young Farmers.
Along with our partners, Young Farmers is asking Congress to invest $2.5 billion over ten years in the 2023 Farm Bill to facilitate equitable access to one million acres of land for the next generation of farmers.
Nearly half of all U.S. farmland is expected to change hands in the next fifteen years, according to the American Farmland Trust, and young farmers are leaving agriculture because they cannot secure land. The Coalition believes the 2023 Farm Bill is a pivotal moment to invest in farmland transition so that the next generation can steward agricultural land and grow food for our communities into the future.
“Land is deeply intertwined with all aspects of farmers’ success, and it does not just impact farmers—land access is critical to the health and well-being of our environment, economy, and marginalized communities,” said Holly Rippon-Butler, the Coalition’s Land Campaign Director. “Supporting equitable access to land means addressing the climate crisis, facilitating farm transition, investing in community-driven initiatives, and providing support to young farmers and ranchers to access credit, find markets, and strengthen their businesses.”
Chipotle Mexican Grill is joining Young Farmers’ efforts to influence the farm bill and advocate for One Million Acres. The company is calling on its community to support the campaign through petition signatures. And through their real change feature, guests can also support the campaign by rounding up their order total to the next highest dollar amount on the Chipotle app or chipotle.com through the end of November.
The National Young Farmers Coalition looks forward to working closely with Congress over the coming months to share their coalition’s policy priorities and to build an equitable, resilient future for farming together through the 2023 Farm Bill.
To learn more and join the campaign, visit youngfarmers.org/onemillionacres.
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The National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) is a national grassroots network of young farmers fighting for a brighter, more equitable future for U.S. agriculture. Visit Young Farmers on the web at www.youngfarmers.org, and on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.